The largest stablecoin provider collaborates with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to strengthen cybersecurity and public education on digital asset security in Africa.

9 January 2026 – Tether, the largest company in the digital asset ecosystem, announced today a joint initiative with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a global leader in combating illicit drugs, transnational organized crime, terrorism, and corruption. 

Emerging as the third-fastest-growing crypto region, Africa is increasingly vulnerable to digital asset scams and fraud. A recent Interpol operation uncovering $260 million in illicit crypto and fiat across Africa signifies the continent’s urgent need to strengthen its cybersecurity against online criminal activities. 

Through this collaboration, Tether will support the UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, advancing efforts to promote peace and security by strengthening community resilience and safeguarding digital assets. By leveraging blockchain technology and other emerging technologies, the initiative seeks to reduce vulnerabilities to cybercrime, strengthen economic opportunities, and support victims of human trafficking across Africa.

Currently, Tether and UNODC are collaborating on the following initiatives:

• Senegal Project: Promoting public cybersecurity education for youth through a multi-phase program that begins with learning opportunities and a bootcamp, including a session by the Plan B Foundation, a collaboration between Tether and the City of Lugano, accompanied by coaching, mentorship, and micro-grants to help participants further develop their projects and ideas.
  
  
• Africa Project: Funding and supporting a select number of civil society organizations that provide direct assistance and protection to victims of human trafficking across Senegal, Nigeria, DRC, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Uganda. 
  
  
• Papua New Guinea Project: Working with the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of Solomon Islands to raise youth awareness on financial inclusion and digital asset fraud prevention, incentivising innovation through a student competition focused on blockchain solutions for financial inclusion and crime prevention.

“Supporting victims of human trafficking and helping prevent exploitation requires coordinated action across sectors,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Through our collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, we’re backing initiatives that combine innovation and education to empower communities and help create safer, more inclusive opportunities for those who need them most.” 

“Digital assets are reshaping how the world engages with money and play a vital role in unlocking Africa’s development potential, while contributing to the United Nations peace and security agenda,” said Sylvie Bertrand, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa. “I am excited by the prospect of a tripartite partnership, bringing together the United Nations, the private sector, and Senegalese authorities, to support the vision behind Senegal’s Digital New Deal. Through this collaboration, we can advance digital inclusion, strengthen digital skills and youth employability, promote secure and transparent digital ecosystems, and harness innovation to prevent organized crime while fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth.”

About UNODC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is at the forefront of the fight against organized crime, including cybercrime since the adoption of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols against these crimes. UNODC also supports countries in addressing cybercrime and has recently supported the adoption of the new UN Cybercrime Convention. Because the scale of these problems is often too great for states to confront alone, UNODC offers practical assistance and encourages transnational and multisector approaches to action through its network of field offices and global programmes.